CALIFORNIA — Climate change is one of the most consequential threats to our planet. Understanding and sharing the science behind climate change is a primary goal of the national climate assessments.

Highly influential, these assessments, which began in 2000, have helped shape climate policy in the U.S. and, in some cases, abroad. Each assessment is the culmination of about three and a half years of effort by hundreds of experts. Their diverse backgrounds are as varied as their affiliations, representing federal agencies, nonprofits, academia and the private sector.

“It is a privilege to work with such talented scientists on an issue and assessment of such importance,” USDA Forest Service research entomologist Chris Fettig stated.

Fettig’s work on climate assessments started as coauthor of the Fourth National Climate Assessment published in 2018. Since then, his expertise and teamwork have propelled him to leadership roles. He is now the federal coordinating lead author of the forests chapter for the upcoming Sixth National Climate Assessment, scheduled for release in 2027. Previously, Fettig filled the same role for the Fifth National Climate Assessment published in 2023.

A key part of the assessments for Fettig and his coauthors is reaching the broadest possible audience. Whether writing about forest health, wildfire resilience or one of many other topics their work covers, they use clear, concise prose.

The team also digs deep, looking at topics, such as how climate change influences wildfires through a multifaceted lens. For example, they investigate how wildfires affect people’s health, the environment, and propose tools to better manage forests in the face of unprecedented climate change.

“We have decades of relevant research from the Forest Service’s Research and Development branch, which includes my home unit of the Pacific Southwest Research Station and other institutions. This research helps inform our work on the national climate assessments and the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy,” Fettig stated.

The strategy is a 10-year plan to address the wildfire crisis through historic investments in forest management practices. And the climate assessments can help guide the agency in these efforts.

For instance, the Fifth National Climate Assessment used scientific data to project future changes in weather conditions that could spark large wildfires of more than 12,000 acres.

“That type of information is critical as the Forest Service implements and adapts the Wildfire Crisis Strategy,” Fettig stated.

Information that informs the Wildfire Crisis Strategy is just one of many impactful and long-lasting contributions of the national climate assessments.

“I feel this work, which is truly a team effort, is so important for addressing climate change and in informing the long-term protection of our communities and forests,” Fettig added.